The Midwife of Venice

A rollicking, fast-paced historical novel set against the richness and squalor of 16th-century Venice and Malta.

A lively tale involving love, blackmail, family, murder, plague, intercultural compassion, dramatic last-minute rescues and some very creative disguises . . . Rich capably depicts the strength of women and the precariousness of their lives, regardless of status or religion

A compelling and engaging novel, a well-researched high-stakes drama written with elegance and compassion: fascinating!

A meticulously researched page-turner that evokes renaissance Venice with remarkable clarity, radiance, and vigour

Not only did Roberta Rich transport me to  sixteenth-century Venice, with its seductive tapestry of smells, sights, textures and beliefs, she involved me in a poignant story of seasoned love. I don't know which I admired more - the wonderfully realized setting or the suspenseful story of Hannah and Isaac

A suspenseful tale... The book is obviously well researched, and its descriptions of Venice and Malta are both fascinating and realistic

Roberta Rich plunges into the stench, intrigue and skulduggery of 16th-century plague-ridden Venice. . . . Rich revels in the details of light, smell, sound, and larger-than-life characters

Rich successfully captures the seedy side of 16th-century Venice--the Jewish ghetto, the plague, the confluence of religious and legal authority

Entertainingly suspenseful. . . . [A] moving melodrama of steadfast love against all odds. In a series of cliff-hanging chapters, Hannah transforms from a "timid little ghetto mouse" into a resourceful young woman as she seeks to save her husband and an innocent child.... Rich's fascinating historical details and her warm empathy for her protagonists will capture historical fiction fans and readers who enjoyed Anita Diamant's The Red Tent

Rich skillfully incorporates a wealth of historical detail into her riveting tale of a heroine who won't give up on her marriage

Roberta Rich divides her time between Vancouver and Colima, Mexico. She is 
a former family law lawyer. This is her debut novel.

At midnight, the dogs, cats, and rats rule Venice. The Ponte di Ghetto Nuovo, the bridge that leads to the ghetto, trembles under the weight of sacks of rotting vegetables, rancid fat, and vermin. Seeping refuse on the streets renders the pavement slick and the walking treacherous. 
 
It was on such a night that the men came for Hannah. 
 
Hannah Levi is famed throughout Venice for her skills as a midwife but, as a Jew, the law forbids her from attending a Christian woman. 
 
However, when the Conte appears at her door in the dead of night, Hannah's compassion is sorely tested. And with the handsome reward he is offering, she could ransom back her husband, currently imprisoned on the island of Malta. 
 
But if she fails in her endeavours to save mother and child, will she be able to save herself, let alone her husband?

Roberta Rich

Safiye had more to worry about than simply birthing this child. Her only son might not live to hear the call for morning prayers. If there ever was a time when the Empire required a male heir it was now. 
 
In the opulent royal palace of Murat III, on the shores of Constantinople, midwife Hannah Levi is charged with ensuring the Sultan’s harem provides him with a male heir. 
 
If she fails, the entire Ottoman Empire will collapse. But the slave girl who has been stolen away to be the Sultan’s latest concubine is not all she seems...

Roberta Rich

Books by Roberta Rich

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